Tech Review: Casio G’zOne Commando Phone

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Son of a bitch. You just dropped your phone in the toilet. Or the pool. Or the mud. You might have that pricey cell phone insurance, but if you don’t, you’re gonna be paying through the nose for a new one. Maybe even put it in a bag of rice and pray to the gadget gods for a phone resurrection. Or, just buy the Casio G’zOne Commando and your clumsy ass will be a non-issue.

RUGGED GOOD LOOKS

The G’zOne (pronounced gee-zee-one…strange, huh?) Commando is Military-Certified, meaning it can withstand being under 3 feet of water for about 30 minutes, dropped from a height of 4 feet about 26 times, and can be in 185 degree weather, or -13 degree weather, for 4 days. In other words, Casio is daring you to break this thing.

I had to rinse it off after putting it in the toilet.

It’s only a little thicker than a standard smartphone (0.6 inches), and feels pretty light in the hand. It should fit right in your pocket, too, unless you’re into those hipster skinny jeans. Casio is great at the sturdy-but-sleek look, so when you whip it out, you won’t feel like you’re working on a construction site talking with Big Jim about the baby-sized turd in the port-a-potty.

Strong enough for a man, but made for this guy.

REQUIRES A HARDER TOUCH

Most weather-proof devices are a little behind the times when it comes to usability, but the Commando is not. It has the latest version of Android in wide release (2.2), which is surprising in a good way.

Also surprising is that the Commando can keep up with other modern smartphones (like the Evo 4G) when installing or running apps. It has an 800MHz processor, which is nothing to sneeze at.

The Commando and Evo 4G run Angry Birds Rio at about the same speed.

That said, the 3.6-inch touch screen can be a little laggy when dragging or tapping, probably because it’s made out of 1mm-thick Corning Gorilla Glass (super tough). There’s a little snap-out shortcut menu that’s supposed to help you launch apps quicker, but it turns out to be more trouble than its worth since it animates on kind of slow.

Other than those minor navigation problems, it’s pretty cool to have the other Android perks like hundreds of thousands of apps, customizable widgets, and the Adobe Flash enabled web browser, all on a phone that can really take a licking.

The Snap Menu isn't very snappy.

STRAP ON YOUR APP-PACK

If you’re buying this bad-ass rugged phone, Casio expects you to be “in the great outdoors”, “taking it to the extreme”, and other cliches with quotes around them, which is why they included the G’zGear widgets. These are incredibly useful, active apps that most other Android phones don’t have.

Gee-Zee-Gear...or giz-gear?

First, there’s a walking counter, which uses the in-phone pedometer to measure how far you’ve walked, and compare it against actual treks, like the John Muir Trail, or Mount Kilimanjaro. You can tell people you’re walking to the South Pole and no one will question your sanity.

There’s also Adventure Training, which lets you compete against opponents like the Men’s 1-Mile World Record time, or try to swim as fast as a Polar Bear. If you’re anything like me, you think you’ll be able to hold your own against a Grizzly Bear’s running pace, but ultimately be disappointed when you realize you’re gonna get mauled because you’re just a slow-ass human.

Other unique apps like an Earth Compass, Thermometer, and High and Low Tide Charts are fun to have around, and you’ll actually use them more than you think.

Can YOU run faster than a Grizzly? No, not you, Usain Bolt.

The standard 5-megapixel rear camera is also included, but picture quality is only average. This is disappointing because I want to take photos of myself river-rafting Class VI rapids, and no one will be able to see my rippling triceps as I make nature my bitch yet again. Even the really bright LED flash doesn’t help that much.

At least it works well as a flashlight.

BEAR GRYLLS-APPROVED…IF I WERE BEAR GRYLLS
Even though the Casio G’zOne Commando isn’t quite as good as I want it to be, it’s still one of the best weather-proof phones I’ve ever used. From its rugged good looks, to its one-of-a-kind active apps, to its $20 dollar price tag (with a contract on Amazon Wireless), this should be the first choice for anyone who considers themselves a great outdoorsman. Just remember: only YOU can prevent drinking your own urine.

My last basic phone was a G’Zone Brigade, and I’ve thrashed that thing. Couldn’t tell by looking at or using it, but it’s spent entire days underwater, pounded in tent stakes, been splattered with soups, melted cheese, and god knows what else, but works and looks just fine for two years of use. Hope the smart version of the series is just as rugged..

I have had this phone for about 2 months and love everything about it so far. I am and always have been hard on all phones. I have already dropped it 20 plus feet, and it still works. My daughter has put it in my pop and coffee, and it still works. I recommend it to anybody in the outdoors or with a young child. G’ZOne is the shit… Commando all the way, daddy O….

It’s great they took care of having a case of the phone drops. But can Casio do anyting about the universal case of dropped calls? reception is vital these days. If this phone can’t get calls because I am wearing flannel, then I am going to wish I could wish I could flush it.

Seriously, did you have to put it in a toilet, just to prove an editorial point? Toilets ARE where you do your ‘business’, right? I bet you eat breakfast on the toilet….That said, good article!! It’s nice that the phone isn’t too crappy (see how I did that?!). Now I have to try and get the image of you call quality testing on the toilet phone out of my eye holes/brain sump. Before I go order one *sigh*